by | Published
SAN ANTONIO, TX – A San Angelo man, Carlos Julian Ruiz, 29, has been sentenced to 80 years in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of two children. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam handed down the sentence after Ruiz pleaded guilty to the charges.
Ruiz, who was required to register as a sex offender since 2013, was identified in January 2023 as a member of a mobile messaging app group dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children. An investigation determined that Ruiz had sexually assaulted a seven-year-old girl on numerous occasions between September 2022 and January 2023 and had shared images of her in the group chat.
According to court documents, Ruiz also befriended the parents of two other girls, ages three and two. He routinely spent time alone with the children and sexually assaulted them. In his plea agreement, Ruiz admitted to providing a co-defendant, Trevor Metterhauser, with access to one of the girls for sexual assault and the production of child sexual abuse material. Metterhauser, who allegedly flew from New Jersey with supplies to facilitate the assaults, is awaiting trial in a separate case.
In December 2022, Ruiz transported the two girls to a hotel in San Antonio where he filmed Metterhauser's acts of sexual abuse.
Ruiz was arrested in February 2023 and pleaded guilty in November 2024 to a total of four counts of sexual exploitation of children and aiding and abetting the sexual assault of a child.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons stated, “Those who use children for their own twisted sexual gratification will not walk free in the Western District of Texas.” The case was investigated by the FBI's field offices in San Antonio, Dallas, and Albany, New York, with assistance from the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.
